1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a rechargeable battery including an external short-circuiter.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery is a battery that is designed to be repeatedly charged and discharged, unlike a primary battery. A low-capacity rechargeable battery is used in, for example, small portable electronic devices such as a mobile phone, a notebook computer, and a camcorder, and a large-capacity rechargeable battery is used, for example, as a power supply for driving a motor such as for a hybrid car.
The rechargeable battery includes an electrode assembly including a separator and a positive electrode and a negative electrode provided on opposite surfaces of the separator, a case for accommodating the electrode assembly therein, a cap plate for sealing an opening of the case, and a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal installed in and extending through the cap plate and coupled to (e.g., electrically connected to) the electrode assembly.
The rechargeable battery may positively electrify (e.g., positively bias) the cap plate and may include an external short-circuiter between the negative electrode terminal and the cap plate. When internal pressure of the rechargeable battery reaches a reference level (e.g., a predetermined level), the external short-circuiter may operate (e.g., may be operated). In other words, the external short-circuiter is configured to (e.g., serves to) discharge a current charged in the electrode assembly to the outside of the electrode assembly.
For example, the external short-circuiter may include a short-circuit tab coupled to (e.g., connected to) the negative electrode terminal and a membrane which maintains a state in which it is separated from the short-circuit tab, is coupled to the cap plate, and may be deformed (e.g., reversed or inverted) to come into contact with the short-circuit tab. The cap plate and the membrane may be coupled to the positive electrode terminal.
When rechargeable batteries are connected in parallel or overcharged, an external short-circuit may be generated, which may cause a malfunction of the membrane due to an overcurrent. For example, after the membrane and the short-circuit tab are short-circuited (e.g., come into contact with each other), excess heat may be generated in short-circuited portions thereof due to overcurrent. Accordingly, the short-circuit tab may melt or the membrane may be broken.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.